husk

[ huhsk ]

/ hʌsk /

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See synonyms for: husk / husked / husking / husks on Thesaurus.com

noun

the dry external covering of certain fruits or seeds, especially of an ear of corn.

the enveloping or outer part of anything, especially when dry or worthless.

verb (used with object)

to remove the husk from.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of husk

1350–1400; Middle English huske, equivalent to hus- (akin to Old English hosu pod, husk) + -ke, weak variant of -ock

OTHER WORDS FROM husk

husker, nounhusklike, adjectiveun·husked, adjective

Words nearby husk

hush-hush, Hu Shih, hush money, hush puppy, hush up, husk, husking, husking bee, Huskisson, husk tomato, husky

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use husk in a sentence

The adventurers’ tent had been sliced open from the inside, and in its husk lay rucksacks, neatly arranged boots, and a plate of sliced pork fat.
Nine Russian adventurers mysteriously froze to death—a new theory explains why|WIRED|January 30, 2021|Ars Technica
Lard-rich tamales are a pandemic-ready project, well worth the time it takes to swaddle dough into corn husk wrappers.
Take a culinary journey with these new travel-inspired cookbooks|Jen Rose Smith|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
Then from there, they get trucked to the huller, which removes the green husk off of the nuts that still have it on—30 or 40% of them—and cleans them and washes them.
The machines that get walnuts from trees to your mouth|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
There’s a husk that peels off, revealing a nut shell underneath.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science

Remove the garlic cloves from the pot, squeeze them out of their husks and spread the garlic puree on toasted baguette.
There’s a science to food pairing, and you can learn it here|Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse, and Johan Langenbick|October 22, 2020|Popular-Science
Still, the exposed skin on my face and hands felt drawn and hot, stinging, a fire of whiteness, a burning Caucasian husk.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crab begins by tearing the husk, fiber by fiber, and always from that end under which the three eye-holes are situated.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
Dumas states that the husk of oats sometimes yields as much as five or six per cent.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen
The house, the bit of the world it gave upon, seemed a part of her life, the containing husk of all the fruitage born to her.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
He broke off the branch, and with the sharp point he soon had torn a hole in the outer husk of the cocoanut.
Mappo, the Merry Monkey|Richard Barnum
The dried husk of the maiz is taken and cut into pieces of the required size.
Mexico|Charles Reginald Enock

British Dictionary definitions for husk (1 of 2)

husk¹

/ (hʌsk) /

noun

the external green or membranous covering of certain fruits and seeds

any worthless outer covering

verb

(tr) to remove the husk from

Derived forms of husk

husker, nounhusklike, adjective

Word Origin for husk

C14: probably based on Middle Dutch huusken little house, from hūs house; related to Old English hosu husk, hūs house

British Dictionary definitions for husk (2 of 2)

husk²

noun

bronchitis in cattle, sheep, and goats, usually caused by lungworm infestation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

husk

Origin of husk

OTHER WORDS FROM husk

Words nearby husk

Words related to husk

How to use husk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for husk (1 of 2)

Derived forms of husk

Word Origin for husk

British Dictionary definitions for husk (2 of 2)